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The Parkville Board of Aldermen voted unanimously last Tuesday to temporarily loosen its short-term rental policy ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The move comes a year before Kansas City and the region take center stage in one of the biggest events across the globe.
“We recognize that around the FIFA World Cup tournament next summer, there's going to be a lot of people wanting to stay for a short-term time. And so we're going to temporarily lift the restrictions for a three-month period," said Community Development Director Stephen Lachky.
In 2019, the city adopted short-term rental restrictions in order to have control over the increase of short-term rental properties in residential areas.
The city's current policy has allowed four short-term rentals per ward, a total of 16 throughout the city. Short-term rentals must be an owner-occupied property, and one rental unit is allowed per property.
Starting next May through July, those restrictions will be loosened to meet the need in short-term rentals during the FIFA World Cup.
“We're ahead of the ball and ready for those international visitors that will be coming to the Kansas City region,” Lachky said.
There will not be a cap on short-term rentals throughout the city. Property owners looking to rent out their space must apply for a permit, have at least one designated parking spot per dwelling unit, and collect a 5% tourism tax.
The city believes this will help bring more traffic to the area, which leaders anticipate local businesses will benefit from.
“To know that the city is definitely watching out for us — because the city has a lot on their plate, we have a lot going on and we're still on their radar. — it says something about the charm of Parkville," said Lauren Watson.
Watson, general manager at Farm House Collection in downtown Parkville, said the change is a step forward for the city and businesses looking forward to welcoming soccer fans next year.
“Oh, it’s thrilling for us," Watson said. "We've seen a lot over the last eight years that we've been in operation here in Parkville. As a company of 17 years, we've seen a lot of ups and downs. This is definitely going to be enough for us. We're very excited to meet everybody."
Parkville is one of the first cities in the Kansas City region to loosen short-term rental restrictions.
Applications for permits are on the city's website.
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